Interview with Author J.C. McKenzie

             J.C. McKenzie

We just moved from Vancouver, B.C. Canada to rural southern Saskatchewan.

         

Good morning, J.C., and welcome to Vision and Verse, the place for Art and Authors.  We're happy to have you here with us this morning.  Can you tell us what you've written?

Published:

-       Shift Happens (A Carus Novel, Book 1), released March 27^th, 2014

-       Beast Coast (A Carus Novel, Book 2), release date: tba

-       The Shucker’s Booktique, release date: October 15^th, 2014

-       The Sands of Time, released in 2010

 

Unpublished:

-       A Carus Novel, Book 3 (still in edit mode)

-       A Carus Novel, Book 4 (unfinished)

   What is your favorite genre to write?

   Urban Fantasy                                       

   Favorite food: 

   Greek

   

   Tea or coffee? 

   Coffee

   Pizza or ice cream? 

   Ice Cream

   Where would you like to visit? 

   Scotland

   Me, too!  We should get a bunch of writers together, fly over, and storm the castle - peacefully, with good intentions.  Do you listen to music when you write?  

   No                                        

   What makes you laugh? 

   I laugh at pretty much anything, except 

   wipeouts where people actually get hurt

   or when the “joke” is making fun of someone. 

   I definitely laugh at myself! I can be 

   a real idiot sometimes!

   

   How old were you when you started writing? 

   Seven

   Where do you get your inspiration? 

   My own twisted mind

   What do you do when you get a writer's block? 

   Drink coffee and eat chocolate.

   Who is your favorite author?  

Answering this question is the emotional equivalent of stabbing myself with a fork! How could I possibly choose? There’s so many great authors. I could pick one that cemented my love for reading in grade seven (Nancy Drew FTW!) Or the authors that opened my mind to the unknown (O.R. Melling – The Chronicles of Faerie), new worlds (Robert Jordan) or dark elements (Anne Rice – the Witching Hour). Or I could regale you with my all-time Urban Fantasy loves like Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson Series) or Kim Harrison (The Hollows Series).

My paranormal short story, The Shucker’s Booktique, was released on October 15^th, 2014.

 Best book you ever read. 

      This is also a hard question to answer. One of the books that really stood out to me aside from the ones I mentioned above is Mermaid’s Song, by Alida von Gores.

      Last book you read. 

       I can’t remember! I’d been so long. I just started Dead Man’s Rules, by Rebecca Grace, and next on my list is The Mountain’s Shadow, by Cecilia Dominic.

What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer? 

I’m a high school Science and Biology teacher by day, writer by night.

What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer? 

Keep writing! I get better with each book and find it gets easier and more fluid as time goes on. Also, find someone to read your work who will provide constructive feedback. You don’t want someone who will rip it apart and shatter your writing soul, but you also don’t want someone who tells you everything you write is daffodils and rainbows.

That is excellent advice.  My best beta reader was an older man who only liked nonfiction.  He was in the area for a while and bored, so I talked him into reading my romance novel, and he was terrific. 

  

Do you any links for us to follow you?

Website: http://www.jcmckenzie.ca

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/jcmckenzie

Blogger: http://jcmckenzie.blogspot.ca/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/JCMcKenzie

Twitter: http://twitter.com/JC_McKenzie

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/j.c.mckenzie.author